Nine Interior Design Trends and How They Apply to Your RV

Part of the fun of owning an RV is making it your own. When designing different Heartland RV models and floor plans, we focus on creating a neutral palette. That way, you can follow different trends and mix and match styles to make the space feel like home. Here is a list of design trends with RV inside pictures that inspire us and DIYers alike.

1. RV Kitchen Design Trends

The kitchen in your RV typically gets noticed first. As the heart of any home, kitchens in brick and mortar homes and RVs share a lot of similarities. 

A large kitchen island–or double island–has become a popular kitchen trend. With more people working from home or out of their RVs, a kitchen island often gets used as a flexible space. It can be a work space, craft area, location for a long heart-to-heart... And of course, it’s where most people prepare their meals. Most RVs come with at least one island, but with a little creativity, some people have transformed a single island into a double.

Another RV kitchen trend we're seeing are cabinets without doors, or with glass, mesh or rattan doors. This provides a great opportunity to express your style by curating cabinet items into a pleasing focal point.

Photo by @our_wandering_canvas, Photo by April Bryant, Heartland Silverado 37QB

2. RV Inside Color Trends

For 2021, we see more color and less “50 shades of grey.” Inside a traditional home, you’ll often notice low-contrast walls and trims in earth tones paired with a brighter color. While we’re not rushing to put blue walls inside Heartland RVs, changing the color palette is an easy way for an owner to let their personality shine. And we love seeing a pop of color on the walls, bedding, furniture or other RV decor.

Photo by @vanmonkeys, Sundance 322RES

In the kitchen, classic white will never go out of style. But lately, there’s been a shift from gray cabinetry to warmer wood tones. People with a bolder sense of style have used dark blues, greens and black tones on their RV cabinets and furniture to complement lighter, brighter walls. Cabinet colors can be divisive, so most manufacturers are sticking to the classics. But that provides a blank canvas for an adventurous RV owner to choose a bold color and give the kitchen cabinets the punch they’ve been looking for.

Photo by Brittnee Proha, Cyclone 4006

3. Textural Trends

Although often overlooked, texture plays a huge role in the overall design of any space. An all-white space can be beautiful if the varying textures create depth and visual interest. For instance, the emboss on the walls, the grain of visible wood, the weave of fabric on furniture and window treatments, and the finish of countertops all contribute to the tactile design of any area. If all these elements had the same finish, it would make for a dull and less inviting space.

Photo by Britnee Proha, Cyclone 4006

Photo by @life_more_fabulous

4. Bonus Spaces

The trend for having an extra space to use however you need it and when you need it is increasingly popular. With more people working from home, these spaces are being transformed into offices, classrooms, workout spaces, etc. Of course, when in an RV, you have the bonus space of wherever you have chosen to camp, but there is also a large selection of floorplans available with that bonus space already built-in. Toy haulers are a primary example.

Photo by Brittnee Proha, Cyclone 4006

Photo by Molly Hen, Cyclone 4007

5. Blending Spaces

The trend of bringing the outside in or the inside out has always been popular and with people spending a significant time at home, this has been even more important and is shown by installing larger windows, doors and creating spaces that invite the outdoors right into your home. With the ability to connect people with the outdoors, RVs are designed to do this quite well. We are always looking for ways to incorporate larger windows or patios and creating more functional outdoor kitchens and entertainment centers.

Photo by @mossonthemove

6. Finishes

If you want to stay on-trend with finishes, black and gold hardware is the way to go, and if you’re looking for a more timeless look, which is never the wrong way to go, you’ll want to consider stainless options. Along with hardware, the actual finish on materials is still trending towards a matte finish for walls, cabinets, counters, and floors–which are all surfaces you likely don’t want to see or have fingerprints on.

7. Feature Wall

Photo by @wisco_flip

Feature walls have always been popular and is a trend that can be found in most RVs. It’s an area that an owner can easily customize with so many new, removable wallpaper designs to choose from.

Photo by Britnee Proha, Cyclone 4006

8. Storage

Let’s be honest, having a place for everything makes a weekend trip or full-time RVing much more enjoyable. Knowing this, while designing the floor plan, we look for opportunities and try to come up with innovative storage solutions to minimize clutter and optimize space, but there are many ways that you as the RV owner can customize how you organize your belongings. Some owners have put benches at the end of their bed if space allows or an ottoman with storage in the living area. Floating shelves or wire baskets on hooks can help declutter and look great.

Photo by @our_wandering_canvas, Cyclone 4006

9. Lighting as Artwork

This trend speaks for itself and is all about having that statement light at the front door entrance or over the kitchen island or table. These days, your RV might already come with a modern light fixture, but this is a piece that can easily be customizable to fit your style.